Chapter 124 Sichuan Tang Clan – 2

Chapter 124: Sichuan Tang Clan – 2

Dang Zhenghou asked with a cold expression.

“You’re twenty-four now, aren’t you? Next year you’ll be twenty-five. It’s a bit late, but with your beauty and martial arts prowess, it’s fortunate you can still be of use to the main family. Had I known this would happen, I should have sent some useless child from a collateral branch to the front lines. I sent you out of a misguided sense of pride.”

His voice was cold and businesslike, devoid of any emotion despite speaking about his own daughter, as if appraising an object.

He seemed utterly unconcerned that Miss Tang might refuse his request.

His tone was utterly matter-of-fact.

And indeed, Lady Tang seemed too shocked to speak, trembling slightly but unable to voice her own opinion.

Then, she finally managed to speak.

“M-Master Tang. I…”

But her voice seemed to go unheard by Tang Zhenghou.

No, it seemed he didn’t even care.

Your betrothal is to the Hongsa Sword Sect. It’s a renowned house of swordsmanship. Moreover, the one to marry you is Young Master Hongsa Sword Dragon, On Je-woong, who has recently gained fame as the sect’s most promising prodigy. Since you happen to love swords, I thought he would be a well-suited match for you. Young Master On is currently visiting his family home, so while he stays, try to share your feelings with each other.

Hongsa Sword Sect? Hongsa Sword Dragon, Young Master On Je-woong?

My memory instantly recalled those names.

Hong Sa-geom-mun was the very man who had come to the Zhengxie Pavilion with the martial artists of the Dang Sect last time, and if it was Hong Sa-geom-ryong, On Je-woong, then he was the very bastard who had ordered his men to threaten me into selling him the Moolang.

The very man who, upon Brother Hwayeongbin’s arrival, immediately abandoned his men and fled the scene.

I could easily spot his face among the lined-up warriors.

He stood among the red-robed warriors, grinning greedily as he stared at Lady Dang.

Come to think of it, he did mention back then that he was about to become a member of the Tang family. Little did I know it meant this.

This most unwelcome connection suddenly left me utterly dumbfounded.

At that moment, Miss Tang seemed to muster her courage and opened her mouth to speak.

“Master, I have never considered marriage.”

Her voice was strained, her eyes pleading.

But as her words spread, the atmosphere in the grand hall instantly turned as cold as an ice cave.

All the martial artists lined up stared at Lady Tang with eyes filled with shock.

The gaze of those present seemed to say, How could anyone question the Lord’s words? The great hall, filled with countless warriors, had fallen so silent not a single breath could be heard.

And the gaze of the cold-hearted Lord Dang Jeong-hu had grown equally icy.

After gazing at Lady Dang for a moment with an icy, blade-like stare, he spoke coldly.

“Do you think that matters?”

It was a very short question.

Yet, the weighty meaning contained within it forced Lady Dang to lower her head, unable to meet his gaze.

Her eyes were brimming with tears, glistening.

Dang Jeong-hu was saying that very thing now.

It didn’t matter what thoughts she harbored, whether she approved of the marriage or opposed it.

And judging by the reactions of those around her, such thoughts seemed perfectly natural within the Sichuan Tang family.

Tang Zhenghou asked again, his tone slightly raised as if in anger.

“Aren’t you going to ask?”

Then, with her head bowed and trembling slightly, Lady Tang finally spoke.

“…I’m sorry, Master. My thoughts are unimportant. I will do as you wish.”

Her answer slightly lifted the chill that had hung over the gathering.

Everyone had been tense, it seemed.

Then, with a voice that seemed slightly more relaxed, Dang Jeong-hu said,

“Return to your room, rest for a while, and then come meet the young hero.”

It meant the conversation was over and it was time to leave.

It seemed Tang Young Lady’s marriage was now a foregone conclusion.

It was then.

I stepped forward and said.

“I’m sorry, but Master. I cannot accept Lady Tang’s marriage.”

At that moment, everyone in the great hall froze.

Everyone stared at me with looks of utter shock.

Their stares were piercing, as if their eyes alone could bore right through a person.

But I turned my eyes to only one gaze among them. Only to the gaze of the young lady standing beside me now.

She was looking at me, her eyes brimming with tears.

Seeing her pitiful gaze, I suddenly recalled Lady Na.

The image of her being suddenly summoned to the palace and forced into marriage by her stepmother.

I couldn’t let Lady Tang be forced into marriage like this, just as Lady Na had been.

No, I absolutely could not tolerate it.

Then, Dang Jeong-hu stared at me with a terrifying gaze and asked slowly.

“You cannot accept the marriage?”

His gaze held multiple meanings.

Who are you, and by what right do you dare say such a thing?

Even though I’d stood behind her all this time, he’d never paid me any mind, as if I didn’t exist. Now, he was focused solely on me.

His gaze alone carried the force to tear me to shreds.

I met his gaze head-on and opened my mouth.

“I am Xian Youjin of the Guizhou Xian You Clan, serving as the deputy leader of the Tang Young Master’s squad in the Thirteenth Dragon Division. And…”

He suddenly turned his head to look at Lady Tang.

Her beautiful eyes were brimming with tears.

She was looking at me with eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and earnestness.

I smiled warmly at her and continued.

“I am betrothed to Yeo Eun-gwa.”

At that moment, the hall felt as if a typhoon had swept through.

It felt like a powerful explosion had occurred, throwing everyone into chaos, though no sound was heard.

A far more intense killing intent than before was pouring toward me from all directions.

Suddenly, I recalled the memory from the courtyard.

Back then, I had half-jokingly, half-seriously offered to pretend to be her betrothed.

She had rejected me outright back then.

But this time, it seemed different.

Lady Dang was looking at me with eyes full of emotion and surprise.

A single tear trickled down her cheek.

I looked at her with tender eyes, raised my hand, and gently wiped away her tears.

Then I sent her a telepathic message.

– Yeo-eun, you must grow stronger. Never forget that only you can change your own destiny.

A flicker of light danced in her eyes as she heard my words.

And I could see a little strength returning to that gaze.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside the arena had grown as cold as a field in midwinter.

Especially when I tenderly wiped away her tears, people stared at me with looks of utter horror, as if they couldn’t bear to see any more.

Dang Jeong-hu leapt to his feet.

He unleashed the overwhelming aura of a supreme master, pressing down on me as he spoke.

“How dare you! You of the Guizhou Xianwu Clan dare covet the daughter of our Sichuan Tang Sect?! Do you think our Tang family is a laughingstock?!”

It was an immense aura.

The sheer pressure alone felt like it could crush me.

Yet, even within that aura, I took a step forward. I stood before Tang Xiaoze with my body.

He blinked at me, looking slightly startled.

The aura of Tang Zhenghou, the head of the Sichuan Tang Sect—one of the Five Great Families of the world—was undeniably formidable.

But for me, who had personally encountered the Demon of the Crimson Mist Son Eunsang, the Demon of the Blood-Stained Sword Jeon Mookwang, and the Heavenly Sword Saint Hae Unbaek—and who had even faced the overwhelming might of my master, the peerless swordsman Jeong Myeonggwang, head-on—it was hardly surprising.

He steadied his weighty presence and declared,

“How could I dare to take the name of the Sunwoo Clan lightly and look down upon the Sichuan Sect? The Sichuan Sect is counted among the foremost of the Five Great Clans of the world.”

Truthfully, few ranked the Sichuan Tang Sect as the foremost among the Five Great Clans of the realm.

But precisely because of that, I felt the hostility around me toward me, who had said such things, lessen slightly.

Smiling inwardly, I raised a finger and pointed to one side as I said,

“I simply take pride in being far superior to that fellow as a marriage partner for Yeo-eun.”

He stood where my finger pointed.

Hong Sa-geom-ryong, On Je-woong, glaring at me with eyes stained with rage and jealousy, as if he might kill me at any moment.

All eyes now turned to him.

Then, after glancing at him briefly, Dang Jeong-hu asked me.

“Are you saying you’re better than this young hero, who hails from the renowned Hongsa Sword Sect—and even holds the title of Hongsa Sword Dragon?”

He inwardly cheered at his question.

‘Success!’

Within the Sichuan Tang Sect, blocking the sect’s affairs—that is, blocking the will of the Supreme Sovereign of the Dark Rock, Tang Zhenghou—was nearly impossible.

Politically and militarily, it was.

But even so, if there was any chance I could stop this marriage, I believed it could only be by comparing myself to that bastard, Weng Jie-weng.

So the moment the question about comparing him to someone else came out of Dang Jeong-ho’s mouth, I saw my chance.

I chuckled and said, looking down on On Je-woong.

“Hongsa Sword Dragon? Hongsa is Hongsa, but a dragon seems utterly preposterous.”

At that, On Je-woong, who had barely been holding back, finally exploded in rage.

“You insolent brat!”

Shwaaah!

His crimson sword struck like a venomous snake, striking swiftly toward me.

It was a fairly swift and sharp sword strike, its blade shimmering with crimson energy.

Then, gasps from the surrounding crowd reached my ears.

“That’s fast!”

“A sword aura at that age!”

“Truly the Crimson Sword Dragon!”

But I snorted in derision and moved my feet lightly.

Then, as I unleashed the Heavenly Wind Step of the Flying Sword Sect, my form began to scatter like petals blown by the wind.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

My form, drifting softly, was effortlessly evading his sword strike, sharp as a venomous snake.

Moreover, even amidst this, I asked Dang Jeong-hu with a very composed expression.

“Master, would you mind if I dared to display my imperfect sword technique before you?”

At that, the corners of Dang Jeong-hu’s mouth, who had been watching with slightly intrigued eyes, lifted ever so slightly.

Onjeung, who dared to draw his sword recklessly in the Tang family’s grand assembly, and I, who lightly dodged that sword and asked whether it was proper to draw mine with due respect.

There was no need to state which of us held the upper hand.

He answered briefly.

“Permission granted.”

In that instant, my Mokrang revealed its blade to the world.

A deep purple sword aura seethed and boiled over the white blade.

The First Strike of the Seonwoo Thirteen Swords.

Divine Response, Soaring.

Gigantic wings of deep purple, formed from the sword’s edge, covered the entire front of Onjeung.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

“Wh-what?!”

Startled, On Je-woong clenched his teeth and swiftly drew his sword again. Whether driven by pride that he couldn’t retreat here, it was a sword strike that seemed to pour out his very life force.

A dozen crimson beasts charged toward the wings of light like beams of light.

But his sword strike didn’t reach me.

The light wings, shot forward, fluttered as if alive, deflecting his sword strike.

On Je-woong’s eyes widened in shock.

“!”

Those around them gasped in unison.

“That… that can’t be!”

“Good heavens!”

The next moment, my sword had swept away the black blade as if it had never been there, and before I knew it, I had pressed its edge against O Je-woong’s throat.

It was an overwhelming victory.

On Je-woong stared blankly at my sword pressed against his throat.

“I… I can’t believe this…”

Then, his pupils suddenly dilated as he glanced at Mook-rang.

It seemed he had just now remembered that we were old acquaintances.

I gave him a faint smile and slowly sheathed my sword once more.

Then, looking at Dang Jeong-hu, I said.

“Do you still see this fellow as a dragon? I certainly don’t.”

On Je-woong now glared at me with a hateful look, his teeth clenched.

But he could no longer act rashly.

Then, Dang Jeong-hu chuckled and said.

“Not bad. For someone so young, that was quite an impressive display of skill. But!”

He spoke to me again, radiating an icy aura.

Becoming a son-in-law of the Tang Sect isn’t something achievable by personal skill alone. On Je-woong—he is the successor of the Hongsa Sword Sect. In other words, his becoming a son-in-law of the Tang Sect means the Hongsa Sword Sect becomes part of our family. Do you think your skill is worth comparing to the entire Hongsa Sword Sect?”

At his question, many martial artists nearby nodded their heads.

It meant they all agreed with Dang Jeong-hu’s words.

I suddenly realized this was the crux of the matter.

And I could understand why the Tang family head had suddenly pushed for this marriage alliance.

Judging by the situation at the CPPCC meeting last time, the Party Gate was probably still locked in a territorial dispute with the Clear Sound Sect.

Both are major factions representing Sichuan Province, so they likely can’t just start fighting recklessly.

‘So the Tang Sect must need a proxy right now—someone to fight their territorial battles without tarnishing their own name. Someone like the Hongsa Sword Sect.’

And to fully subjugate them, I suspect they needed a means like a bloodline marriage.

As a result, my thoughts had rushed to the young lady of the party on the front lines.

I was certain.

This thought was undoubtedly an accurate assessment of the situation.

But once I understood that far, the situation began to feel increasingly hopeless.

‘If that’s what they want, then I have nothing appealing about me, do I?’

That was it.

If that was the kind of partner they wanted, no matter how high my cultivation level was, I could never be a match for On Je-woong.

Of course, the Gui Zhou Xianwu Clan was one of the Gui Zhou Eight Clans.

But for those who needed someone to start a dogfight in Sichuan Province right away, the Sunwoo family in Guizhou Province was a useless background.

Moreover, it wasn’t as if I were the heir to the Sunwoo family like On Je-woong, so taking me as a son-in-law wouldn’t mean the Sunwoo family’s submission either.

‘Damn it.’

I was at a loss.

Glancing to the side, I saw On Je-woong, who had been a mess of anger and shame, now wearing a coldly composed face as he gave me a bitter smile.